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At the Uchiha Compound—
While politely responding to the greetings of the coming and going people, Mikoto, with a gentle face, soon arrived at the entrance of the house that she had called her home for the first nineteen years of her life before she moved out to live with Kanzou.
Now standing at the door, she stared at the doorbell for a long while, hesitation flaring up inside her until she curbed it and pressed the button…
DING-DONG~
Soon, the door was opened, and it was none other than Uchiha Suzume, the appointed caretaker of Elder Tadayoshi, who opened the door. "Mikoto-sama?" the girl called out, surprised to see Mikoto visiting. Even though this house used to be Mikoto's, it was very rare to see her visit here. In all the time she has been living with Kanzou, she has only ever visited twice.
"Suzume-chan…" smiling gently, Mikoto greeted the girl. "How are you doing?"
"It's okay," responded Suzume before curiously questioning her, "Did you come to pick up something?"
On the two instances she had visited this house, Mikoto had come to pick up something. Hence, Suzume wondered if this visit was also related to that.
"…Something like that," Mikoto confirmed after a moment of silence, and asked, "Can I come in?"
"Oh, right," Suzume nodded, moving aside to let Mikoto step inside.
As she was removing her sandals, one of the doors on the side slid open, and Tadayoshi, who had happened to have heard her voice, stepped out of his room, looking at his granddaughter. "Mikoto…? It's really you…"
Looking at her grandfather, Mikoto's eyes flickered, her palms grew a bit sweaty from nervousness and hesitation, and her heart throbbed from anxiety and fear. But she tried her best not to let anything appear on her face, and maintaining a gentle expression, she bowed, greeting him respectfully. "Sofu-sama..."
"Don't just stand at the entrance… come inside…" Tadayoshi beckoned her.
"Hai…" she nodded, and after removing her sandals at the entrance, she stepped inside, standing in front of him.
As she stepped closer, Tadayoshi looked at her and noticed that Mikoto's eyes seemed to dodge his gaze. She had even lowered her head, as if she lacked the confidence to be able to stand before him and proudly meet his gaze.
At the same time, Tadayoshi also noticed Mikoto's cheeks were a little sunken, her under eyes were darker, her face was somewhat pale, and her overall posture was a little tight.
The details were very subtle, and others may not have noticed, but how could he, her grandfather, who had raised her and watched her for years, not notice these details?
As for what these tiny details meant, how could he not understand?
Mikoto was definitely under constant stress and a lot of pressure, and this pressure was starting to reflect on her face and her tight posture.
Anger flared in his chest, knowing full well that his granddaughter was probably being mistreated by Kanzou. That had to be the case; otherwise, it didn't make sense for Mikoto to appear anxious and lack confidence that she was trying to cover up.
He wanted to question her… he seriously felt the need to question her. But he also knew that questioning her directly would probably not work. She'd either dodge the questions or outright deny them. He knew his granddaughter well. In order not to burden him, she'd much rather bear it all on her own.
She is too gentle and kind for her own good.
Still, as her grandfather, how could he allow Mikoto to bear it? He needed to confront her.
But he also secretly glanced at Suzume standing close by and knew that it was better not to bring up such topics in front of that girl, who was obviously Kanzou's informant here.
"Sofu-sama?" asked Mikoto, trying not to appear strained, even though she felt very uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.
After a moment of silence, he spoke, "…Since you are here, how about spending the evening with me? It's been a while since I had the tea specifically prepared by my granddaughter… I am missing it…" and asked after a pause, "…Kanzou-kun probably wouldn't mind, right?"
"He… wouldn't," she nodded, internally sighing sadly, 'He doesn't seem to care what I do these days…'
In fact, she'd much rather that Kanzou mind what she does. She'd feel much better and would be happy if he tried to control her, scold her, degrade her, and wouldn't even mind being punished and humiliated… At least, while subjecting her to these things, he'd be looking at her, focusing on her, right?
But he hasn't been doing any of that… he has been ignoring her completely. It's as if whatever she does, it has nothing to do with him, and he doesn't care at all.
Although being exploited and assaulted hurts, being ignored by him hurts even more, and she really can't take it anymore. She needs his attention back on her… Even if that attention is dehumanizing and predatory, she needs it back on her.
And she understands that there's only one way to draw his attention back on her. She'd have to become worthy of it…
As for how to become worthy enough for him to no longer ignore her? He has already explained to her…
'Awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan…'
She understands that only by awakening the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan will she become worthy of him.
And for that very reason… she is here.
Indeed, today, here, she is going to 'speak' with her grandfather about the Mangekyō Sharingan, and was wondering how to bring it up to him.
So, when Tadayoshi brought up the matter of her spending time with him for a while, over tea, she already knew that the path was ahead of her. Therefore, she didn't refuse and agreed, "…I, too, wish to talk about something… In fact, I am here for that very reason."
Tadayoshi, not knowing her true intention, smiled. "Is that so? Then come… let's talk in my study…"
"I will… prepare the tea…" Mikoto said.
"Leave that to me, Mikoto-sama…" Suzume said, patting her chest. "You can go and just talk with Tadayoshi-sama about whatever you were here for… I will bring in the tea…"
But Mikoto insisted, "Let me do it, Suzume-chan… It's been a while since I prepared tea for Sofu-sama…"
Since she was insisting, Suzume could only agree. "Alright, then I will leave that to you…"
Having said that, Suzume bowed to the two and retreated, leaving the pair of grandfather and granddaughter to their own devices.
"I will bring in the tea…" Mikoto said to Tadayoshi again.
Tadayoshi hesitated, but eventually agreed. "…Alright."
With that, Mikoto went towards the kitchen area, while Tadayoshi went to his study.
...
Inside the kitchen, with practiced hands, Mikoto quickly prepared the tea and poured it into a kettle. Then, she bit her lip and looked towards the kitchen entrance. After making sure that neither Tadayoshi nor Suzume was there, she took out the transparent vial from the inner pocket of her dress and uncorked it before bringing it over the kettle.
As she held it there, her hand trembled, and she felt guilty, anxious, and fearful of what she was doing. There was also a lot of reluctance in her heart. Honestly, she didn't want to do it. She felt too afraid of doing that to her own grandfather…
Why'd she have to do it? Is there no other way? Such questions kept appearing in her mind.
As she was hesitating, a voice came from the entrance of the kitchen.
"Mikoto-sama…"
Mikoto was jolted and hurriedly turned her head. "...y-yes? Suzume-chan?"
"…" Suzume stared at Mikoto, noticing her somewhat tense state. But she didn't comment on that and simply spoke, "…I just came to tell you that there were some cookies I had baked… so… please take them along with the tea…"
"Right, I got it…" nodded Mikoto, smiling lightly.
Having said that, Suzume bowed and left the kitchen.
Once Suzume had left, Mikoto turned her attention back to the tea kettle.
Only at that moment did she realize that in her moment of jolting, her hand had ended up being tilted entirely, and she had emptied the entire vial into the tea kettle.
"…" She stared at the steaming green tea inside the kettle that was now mixed with the colorless, odorless, tasteless content of the vial and bit her lip again.
After several moments of hesitation, whether to throw away the tea into the sink or not, she ended up hiding the vial she was holding back inside her sleeve and simply covered the tea kettle with a lid.
Tears dripped down her cheeks. But she quickly wiped them away, knowing full well that someone like her, considering what she is about to do to her own grandfather, doesn't deserve to cry in guilt.
'The only thing I deserve is to rot in hell!' she thought to herself as she took out the cookies that Suzume had told her about, then placed them all on a tray along with two cups, and left the kitchen, making her way towards her grandfather's study.
...
"Sofu-sama… may I enter?" asked Mikoto, knocking on the door.
"Yes, come in…" Tadayoshi's voice came from the other side.
Receiving permission, Mikoto slid open the door and stepped inside. Sliding the door closed, she placed the tray on the square tea table before sitting down herself.
Then, she picked up the kettle to pour him the tea in one of the cups.
As she was about to do that, Tadayoshi looked at her again. He wanted to ask her about her situation with Kanzou; however, he understood that it's probably best not to bring it up immediately. Hence, he decided to bring up her own reason for coming to see him today. "So… what did you want to talk to me about?" he questioned.
Questioned by him, Mikoto's hand, which was about to pour the tea, paused. She tilted back the kettle and, while keeping it held in her hand, she asked him. "What I wanted to talk about… or rather, what I wanted to know about is the Mangekyō Sharingan of our Clan. Could you tell me about it?"
Her question made him pause. "The Mangekyō Sharingan?" he asked, stunned, not expecting her to ask about the legendary Dōjutsu of their Clan out of nowhere.
"That's right..." she nodded, looking at him with burning eyes, waiting for an answer.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan..." he murmured, trying to understand her reason for asking such a question.
About Mangekyō Sharingan, Mikoto, as his granddaughter, should already know quite a lot. He had taught her about it, so he didn't know what she wanted to know about the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I wonder how to… awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan…" she said hesitantly.
Kanzou has told her that the Mangekyō Sharingan is usually awakened with the tears of blood that flow down our eyes with the death of people close to us. While she doesn't doubt Kanzou, she is still wondering if that's the only way.
Although she knew that the chances of there being any other way were abysmal, since, let alone the Mangekyō Sharingan, even the basic Sharingan is mostly accompanied by tragedy, so to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, the loss of a loved one would definitely be the reason.
But… just like how Sharingan can also awaken and evolve in some rare instances without being accompanied by tragedy, perhaps there might be a way of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan without the loss of a loved one? She wondered… no, she hoped. If she could awaken those legendary eyes without the loss of a loved one, wouldn't that be the ideal situation?
And… if there's anyone who can give her the answer to such a question, it has to be her grandfather.
It's just that while she was looking for the response to her question, her grandfather, on the other hand, began to wonder why she'd ask this kind of question all of a sudden.
Although curiosity about how to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan was not a strange thing, for Mikoto to have specifically come to him today with this question… It did raise doubts in his mind.
The doubts he had, they were about the reason why she wanted to know how to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Quite obviously, it must be because she wants to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan herself, right?
Why would she want to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?
No… wanting to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan isn't a strange thing either. Is there any Uchiha who doesn't want to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan? Desire for power is not a strange thing… and Mikoto, whether as a kunoichi or as an Uchiha herself, should naturally also have that desire for power.
However… Mikoto… she is already in a semi-retired state. For the past year, she hasn't even taken any missions. She isn't even part of the Police Force and hasn't trained either, aside from probably the minimal workout needed to stay in shape.
Yet, now… all of a sudden, she wants to know about the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The reason... it must be because she feels the serious need to become stronger.
Which begs the question about why she feels this serious need to grow stronger…?
As for the answer, didn't Tadayoshi already know?
'It must be because the Mangekyō Sharingan might be her only hope, right?' he thought, convinced.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan, she'd have the power to protect herself from Kanzou. That must be why.
Since that's what he believes, Tadayoshi truthfully answered her, "I didn't awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan myself, so I cannot say for certain. But the instances of Mangekyō Sharingan awakening that I recall… whether it was Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Naori, Uchiha Naka… or the ones I had read about in our Clan's history… they were all accompanied by the loss of a loved one…"
Hearing that response, her eyes dimmed a little, and her shoulders slumped. This method, she already knew, and the tea resting inside the kettle in her hand was already the answer to that method. But she still wondered, "Is it always the loss of a loved one? Is there no instance of awakening of those eyes without the death of a loved one?"
"…probably, not…" responded Tadayoshi, shaking his head.
"I see…" she murmured, accepting that response. If even her grandfather didn't know of any other way of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, then there probably wasn't. It made her feel helpless, and eventually she tilted the kettle down, pouring the tea into the cup.
"…" Tadayoshi noticed her helplessness and sighed. He understood that his granddaughter would probably not go the only known route… and it actually made him sad.
If it were up to him, he'd much rather have Mikoto go that route. But that was just wishful thinking.
If she were capable of going that route, she'd not have been coerced into being assaulted by Kanzou.
Kanzou had used Tadayoshi's life as a bargaining chip to coerce. Mikoto, who didn't have the heart to let Kanzou kill her grandfather, had given in… such a granddaughter… who sacrificed her chastity and dignity to protect him, how could she go through the sacrifice of a loved one for the desire of strength?
At that time, Mikoto slowly slid the cup of tea towards him. "Sofu-sama… here's your tea…" she said gently.
"Right…" nodded Tadayoshi, looking at the cup. But honestly, he didn't care much about the tea at the moment… what he cared more about was Mikoto's situation.
So, instead of immediately picking up the teacup and taking a sip, he looked at her and questioned her directly. "Mikoto… How are things with Kanzou-kun?"
The question made her, who was pouring tea for herself in the second cup, pause, and her expression threatened to contort into a pained one, but she managed to prevent that from happening, and she continued with her action. At the same time, smiling gently, she answered him, "It's alright, Sofu-sama. There is nothing to worry about. Kanzou-sama… he is very gentle to me… and he has been taking good care of me."
Even though it was far from the truth, that was the only answer she could give him. Anything else would only make Tadayoshi anxious, and she didn't want him to be anxious in these few moments.
But Tadayoshi obviously didn't believe her words. "Is that… really the truth?"
If that were true, if Kanzou was being gentle to her and taking good care of her, then why would her cheeks appear sunken, why would her face be pale, why would she be in a tense state? It's clear that she is having a tough time dropping her guard and must be living in constant anxiety.
This is the sort of thing that happens to people who feel threatened all the time, and it is very common in households where abuse is a daily occurrence.
And Tadayoshi feels that Kanzou is putting her through the same.
A man like Kanzou who could force himself upon her while coercing her, would suddenly start being gentle towards her? Tadayoshi couldn't believe a man like Kanzou had simply changed overnight. A sadistic scumbag like Kanzou couldn't become gentle. Heck, he probably wouldn't even know what gentleness means in the first place.
Therefore, Tadayoshi didn't think that even when Mikoto willingly moved in with Kanzou, hoping for their relationship to change, he probably didn't stop abusing her.
If that were the case, if Kanzou was indeed gentle towards her, Mikoto probably wouldn't have asked him about the method of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But based on Mikoto's previous response, it was obvious that even if he kept questioning her, she'd keep denying it.
Tadayoshi's heart ached even more at the thought. His beloved granddaughter was trapped in a dangerous situation, and she refused to speak of it… or perhaps she had no choice but stay quiet.
And her silence of the situation, of the abuse she might be suffering… to a certain extent made sense.
What would admitting to it do in the first place?
Kanzou was too strong; there was nothing she could do about it to escape him…
Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan would probably bring her hope as she would have the strength to protect herself. But as said, she probably can't go through with it. So rather than admitting to it and making her grandfather worry, she was choosing to stay silent about it.
But really… how could Tadayoshi stay silent and indifferent about his beloved granddaughter being abused? Just the thought that she is suffering in silence ached his heart. But at the same time, what could he do about it?
In fact, he had an idea…
"Mikoto… I was wondering, do you wish to rejoin the Guardian Twelve?" he asked.
"Rejoin the Guardian Twelve?" Mikoto was stunned by the sudden proposal brought forward by him.
"Yes. I have received word that there is a vacancy among them because one of the Guardian Twelve had died… and you, who had been one of the Guardian Twelve, can rejoin it," explained Tadayoshi. "By joining the Guardian Twelve… you'd be away from Konoha… and you can—"
He was thinking that while being away from Konoha, she might be safe from Kanzou's claws…
It's just that, as a kunoichi, Mikoto can't remain away from Konoha without a legitimate reason. She'd be declared a traitor and hunted down. Heck, Kanzou would definitely order a manhunt should Mikoto simply run away from Konoha… and that'd put her life in danger. Not to mention the other villages and nations who'd definitely want a piece of her for her Uchiha blood and womb.
To escape Kanzou's claws, Mikoto would have to be away from Konoha, but also for a legitimate reason so that she can't be declared a traitor. And she'd have to be under the protection of a powerful figure whom even Kanzou can't touch.
The Daimyō of the Land of Fire, in Tadayoshi's opinion, is that candidate.
If Mikoto were to rejoin the Guardian Twelve, she'd be in the capital of the Land of Fire, meaning away from Konoha, for a legitimate reason, and under the protection of a power that even Kanzou, the Uchiha Patriarch, probably can't offend.
Offending the Daimyō or targeting his Guardian Twelve is tantamount to becoming a traitor of the nation. Even if it's Kanzou, he shouldn't be able to afford that, right?
Even the Hokage has to respect the Daimyō and his Guardian Twelve, let alone a mere Uchiha Patriarch.
Therefore, in Tadayoshi's opinion, rejoining the Guardian Twelve is Mikoto's safest bet.
However, he was immediately refused by Mikoto. "No… I-I don't want to. I-I… wish to be with Kanzou-sama…"
Putting aside the fact that she didn't believe Kanzou cared about the Daimyō's authority or anything, and becoming a Guardian Twelve wouldn't allow her an escape from Kanzou's claws, she herself didn't want to escape.
What she wants is to marry him, be with him, and serve him for the rest of her life. Why would she want to become a Guardian Twelve?
In fact, if she wanted to escape from Kanzou's claws, that was really easy for her at this point. After all, he seems to have stopped caring about her and doesn't even look at her, so even if she left, he'd probably not care.
Heck, on one occasion, he had told her that she was free to leave and even tried to discard her… so… in a sense, he wasn't stopping or forcefully keeping her at all… she believes she was free to leave, but as she said, she didn't want to escape; she didn't want to walk away.
On the contrary, she wanted to be with him. She wanted to become his wife, give birth to his children, make a family… and… and—
"Sofu-sama, please don't bring up something like that… I don't wish to be away from Kanzou-sama…" she said stubbornly, her eyes fervent, almost obsessed, her tone leaving no room for questioning.
Hearing her and noting the zealous, almost fanatical expression on her face as she spoke about wanting to be with Kanzou, Tadayoshi blinked, 'Has she... become attached to Kanzou-kun?'
He seemed to understand that she had really conditioned herself. She had probably become too emotionally dependent on Kanzou to care about what she was being put through…
This made him feel helpless and unsure what to do…
But he didn't give up just yet and tried to approach the matter differently. "What about the rumors circulating about him?"
Hearing this question, Mikoto immediately shook her head. "Those are just… rumors. They were spread to defame him," she said, defending him.
It's just that Tadayoshi clearly noticed that Mikoto's fists had tightened ever so slightly.
Indeed, despite knowing that the rumors were every bit true, she was still defending Kanzou. And she also added, "…Besides, Kanzou-sama is the Patriarch of the Clan. It's not too strange…" She hesitated, her voice choking a little, but she went through it regardless, "...strange for him to have more than one wife…"
Looking at his granddaughter, who was defending Kanzou's infidelity, and even accepting the possibility of having to live with the fact that the man she wished to take as her husband might marry other women as well, Tadayoshi could only sigh. "..."
Mikoto seemed far too gone… and he couldn't even scold her, as none of this was her fault. The fault lay with Kanzou… and also with his own.
He had raised her to be the devoted woman she is. He had raised her to be the type of woman who would support her husband… the Patriarch, while being gentle and accepting of everything. But now… looking at what she had become, he really regretted the upbringing he gave her.
He felt guilty not only for the upbringing he had given her, but also for being unable to protect her. It was his incompetence and inability that she was violated in this very house and was going through what she was going through at the hands of Kanzou.
He really has... failed her.
Feeling guilty and helpless, he sighed.
Not knowing what else to do, he simply shook his head before picking up the cup of tea she had prepared for him.
The moment he touched the glass, Mikoto's lips tightened, her entire body growing rigid, and her eyes spun with fear, expectation, and anxiety about what was about to happen the moment he drank that tea…
She noticed him bring the cup toward his lips, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind in that very instant.
'No! Stop him! Stop Sofu-sama before he drinks it!!'
'That tea will—'
'But... but... this is needed to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan…'
'Only after I awaken those eyes will I become worthy to be his wife…'
Such thoughts kept echoing in her mind as her clenched fist opened and closed, struggling between letting him drink it and stopping him before it was too late.
'I-It's to gain Kanzou-sama's approval…!' she desperately reasoned in her mind, stopping herself from intervening, and watched him drink with her heart pounding rapidly, along with her breath quickening.
'It's for the Mangekyō Sharingan!'
'It's for the Mangekyō Sharingan!'
'It's for the Mangekyō Sharingan!'
She kept telling herself as the cup touched Tadayoshi's lips.
She watched that intently, for the mildly hot tea leaving the cup and—
—and then a crashing sound of a glass cup cracking echoed in the study, followed by the sound of liquid splattering onto the tatami mats and the walls.
CRACK! SPLATTER!
Suzume, who was hiding in the roof and peeking through the wood, couldn't help but think to herself, 'Did she really—'
...
CRACK! SPLATTER!
The sound of the glass cup cracking and liquid splattering onto the tatami mats and the walls echoed sharply in the study.
Tadayoshi looked at his hand, stunned. It was empty… the cup that cracked was the one he had been holding, and the liquid that had splattered across the tatami mat and the wall was the mildly hot tea inside it.
How had the tea he was about to sip suddenly ended up splattered on the tatami mat and the wall?
The reason was right in front of him.
"Mikoto?" he murmured, frowning in confusion as he looked at her. She was on her knees, sweating heavily on her forehead, breathing rapidly with her chest rising and falling. And she was also the reason why the cup of tea that had been in Tadayoshi's hand had landed on the tatami mat in the distance, splattering tea everywhere.
Indeed, she was the reason.
Just when the cup touched Tadayoshi's lips, and he was about to sip the tea, she realized that she couldn't go through with what she was about to do after all, and ended up swatting it away from his hand, preventing him from drinking it.
It's just that, Tadayoshi, for a moment, didn't understand what had happened… and why Mikoto had done what she did.
But… he was also a shinobi, after all, and soon came to a realization. "Mikoto… was the tea?" he questioned, his voice quivering a little.
Mikoto's face immediately contorted into a pained, guilty one as tears that she had been desperately holding back flowed out.
"So… it is," he murmured. Her guilty expression, coupled with the fact that she had questioned him about the method of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, was more than enough of an answer.
She was trying to poison him to death in an attempt to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I… I…" she wanted to apologize… to beg for his forgiveness… but… how do you beg for forgiveness for something like this?
She… had just attempted to kill her grandfather!
Granted, she couldn't go through with it and ended up stopping at the last instant… but… the mere fact that she attempted to kill him made her unforgivable. He had raised her, brought her up for many years from a very young age… and she… she… was attempting to kill him?
This was how she was going to repay him for everything he had done for her? Was this her filial piety? To kill the very person who loves her, cares about her?
Watching her trembling and crying, the guilty look on her face, and the shame preventing her from meeting his eyes, Tadayoshi's heart ached.
"Mikoto… look at me," he gently called out to her.
Although he felt shocked and also sad to realize that she had almost attempted to kill, and happy that she didn't go through with it, her attempt also made him feel relieved.
Indeed, he felt a little mixed about this situation, but one thing was certain. He wasn't angry at all…
Rather… the fact that she was able to come this far… it relieved him. It meant that she was trying to prioritize herself, and that was important for him. Compared to an old bone like him who has lived his life and whose days were numbered, Mikoto should protect herself and look after herself. That's what he wants from her… and he tried to assure her, "It's alright… Mikoto—"
"No… no… it's not alright… I… I was doing something unforgivable… I—" she argued, shaking her head. Feeling scared and ashamed to even face him, she suddenly got up…
CRACK! SPLATTER!
The cup and the kettle on the table fell as she got up… but she didn't have the heart to pay attention to any of that, and she just ran away…
She didn't dare to sit in front of him anymore after what she had done…
At this point, all she could do was stay away from him and never show her face to him… Thus… she not only ran out of the study, but also ran out of the house, leaving behind Tadayoshi, who looked at the splattered poison tea everywhere that soon began dripping down the table onto the tatami floor…
Drip… drip… drip…
...
At the Police Station—
"…Did something like that happen?" murmured Kanzou, raising an eyebrow, having received the report from Suzume kneeling in front of him.
"Kanzou-sama… you are really bad, making her do something like that…" Uroko commented, pitying Mikoto. But this was not surprising… Kanzou, a sadist, revels in making others endure this kind of suffering.
"It's a pity, though… she couldn't go through with it and backed away at the last instant," he said, sighing. If she had gone through with that, perhaps she'd have already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Not only that, Kanzou himself would have received Evil Points from the system.
But… she couldn't go through with it, thus no benefit or reward.
Shaking his head, he got up and began to leave his office.
"Kanzou-sama… where are you going?" asked Hazuki, even though she already knew the answer.
"To check up on her," he responded, "I guess she needs a stronger push…"
Hazuki pouted, unhappy that he was still focusing on her. Uroko also silently watched him leave while thinking to herself, 'Kanzou-sama… really seems to value her…'
She felt envious… but there was nothing she could do about it and just shrugged.
...
On the other hand, Kanzou, sensing Mikoto's presence, soon arrived at his mansion—
He found her sitting in a corner, curled up and crying softly.
When she sensed him enter her proximity and looked up, her eyes were a swirling storm of emotions.
There was hatred, anger, resentment, longing, desperate desire, apology, guilt, and so much more mixed in them. These countless conflicting feelings churned within those beautiful red eyes with three black tomoe rapidly swirling within them, suggesting they might evolve at any moment under the overwhelming psychological pressure and emotional distress…
'Is she going to?' thought Kanzou, blinking.
He waited and watched, hoping for the result he desired.
But eventually, the storm faded, and she called out to him weakly, her voice trembling. "Kanzou-sama… please…"
Noticing the storm of emotion fade, Kanzou looked down at her with clear disappointment and shook his head. "Waste…"
The single word reached Mikoto's ears. "!!!" She froze completely, as if the world had stopped around her.
...
Around the same time, at the Hokage Building, an ANBU reported a piece of news to Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama… Uchiha Fugaku has regained consciousness…"
Hearing that news, Hiruzen paused for a brief moment before immediately standing up. "Take me to see him…" he ordered, and left the Hokage Building to go and see Fugaku.
.
.
A/N:
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